So how do HCPs get new info on pharma? Almost half go to standard sources like books and sales reps or go to conferences and symposia (based on recent survey data). Of course, according to data presented last week at the CRM forum, 80% of HCPs carry around a smartphone for clinical use (25% carry a smart phone and an iPad: those white coats have huge pockets). 

We could just say that there is overlap. No biggie. Some people with smart phones might think that the screen is a little small for certain things, or don’t want to use it to read books. Sure. I get it.

But in the same survey at the top of the post, only a third of HCPs say they use the internet to get new info. Whatwhatwhat? 80% do clinical work on smart phones, but only 40% of them use the internet? 

Either HCPs (like so much of America) don’t really know when their device connects to the web, or that we are seeing the last vestiges of the old school v new school fight as it falls away.

Okay, speaking from a pharma marketing perspective here, there are really two kinds of HCPs. They aren’t grouped Tech vs Non-Tech. They are grouped There Is A Way To Reach Them vs No Way. It’s not “no-see” HCPs that are hard for me to deal with, it’s HCPs who aren’t interesting in anything new. They don’t want new technology to use to prescribe or learn about new treatments. They don’t need a new toy or new ideas. They know enough to do what they need to do and are done. They don’t spend 8 hours a week after office hours learning new things (on average). They don’t view eDetails, see reps, go to conferences or… anything. As a marketer, I have nothing to offer them.

So-called “no-see” docs aren’t not interested in learning, they just need pharma to be better at being there with content when *they* need it. And we are. eDetails and FaceTime and virtual rep visits and HCP-facing sites and all the other ways we leave content for HCPs to use on their time are good. If we build content that assumes all these different ways of communicating, monitoring all channels in aggregate, making adjustments to each to create a successful communication strategy, we can stop worrying about if this channel or that channel is where they all are. Here’s the answer: They’re all over. Make good content and put it everywhere.

Vacation time! Have a great long weekend everyone!